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Cardiff blacks out for WWF Earth Hour 2016

Guest blogger Ffion Eirug is rocking a nice climate change vibe with this post about Earth Hour. In case you don’t know what it is, this Saturday, homes and businesses across Cardiff will be blacking out (not in the usual Cardiff night-life sense!). Here’s why …

At 20.30 on Saturday 19 March 2016, homes, businesses and landmarks across Cardiff will go dark for WWF’s Earth Hour: the annual global celebration of our brilliant planet! The celebration goes beyond Cardiff – millions of people across the world will unite by switching off their lights for an hour to show they care about the future of our planet. The aim is to inspire individuals, businesses and governments to take action to tackle climate change.

Earth Hour first began in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and it is now the world’s largest grassroots movement with over 7,000 cities in more than 172 countries and territories joining last year to create a symbolic and spectacular lights out display.

People and organisations across Cardiff are great supporters of Earth Hour. Cardiff Council is one of 21 councils across Wales that’s supporting the campaign. The Council will be switching off the lights at many of its buildings, including the New Theatre, Cardiff Library and St David’s Hall. Landmarks such as Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Castle, National Museum Cardiff and the Principality Stadium will join thousands of international landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Times Square in New York and London’s Big Ben in supporting Earth Hour.

It’s great to have the support of some of Cardiff’s best-known businesses too: Admiral, Arriva Trains Wales, John Lewis, and Spillers Records, plus Marriott and Hilton hotels will all be joining in. In addition, a number of schools and universities in Cardiff are taking part, including Ysgol Pwll Coch, Radnor Primary, Willows High School along with Cardiff University and Cardiff Metropolitan University.

It’s not too late to join in the celebration and show your support! Sign up to Earth Hour and switch off your lights on Saturday 19 March at 20.30.

What you do with your hour is up to you, but here are some ideas:
– a candlelit supper,
– a candlelit games night,
– head to the Brecon Beacons Dark Skies reserve to do some proper stargazing!

To find out more about Earth Hour, check out the website or come and see us in Chapter Arts Centre between 5.30pm and 8.30pm on Friday 18 March. Join the conversation online at the WWF Cymru Facebook page and following the hashtags #LightsOutCymru and #EarthHour on Twitter and Instagram.